How do you motivate yourself?
polycounter lvl 11
Hi all 
I'm learning (well atleast trying to) 3D and creating games on my own for a while now and I had the same situation over and over again:
1. watch tutorial, be crazily motivated, starting a project following the tutorial
2. during working on the own project finding some unexpexted issues/errors/whatever
3. Trying to fix it, can't fix it because my lack of knowledge outside the tutorial I just watched
4. get frustrated, stopp working on the project and draw instead..
So, as you might imagine that's frustrating as hell, I have very few projects I really finished and that's not very motivating..
So to make it short: How do you deal with such situations? How do you motivate yourself to keep working even though you are stuck right now?
Would be really interested if someone knows any tips regarding these problems..
I'm learning (well atleast trying to) 3D and creating games on my own for a while now and I had the same situation over and over again:
1. watch tutorial, be crazily motivated, starting a project following the tutorial
2. during working on the own project finding some unexpexted issues/errors/whatever
3. Trying to fix it, can't fix it because my lack of knowledge outside the tutorial I just watched
4. get frustrated, stopp working on the project and draw instead..
So, as you might imagine that's frustrating as hell, I have very few projects I really finished and that's not very motivating..
So to make it short: How do you deal with such situations? How do you motivate yourself to keep working even though you are stuck right now?
Would be really interested if someone knows any tips regarding these problems..
Replies
You'll run into a lot of problems when you are starting out simply because there is a lot of knowledge necessary to do anything related to game development, but it's important that you make every effort to solve these problems and move on because that is how you'll gain the bulk of your knowledge.
I remember the first time I tried figuring out how to bake a normal map from a high poly model onto the low poly, it took an entire day but now I can do it in very little time. It's also important to not let problems stop your desire to create something. Even the most experienced artists run into large problems every now and then. Solving problems might as well be a part of the job.
Accept failure. Failure is good. Embrace it.
It might all sound a little bit cheesy, but just try to have fun. Remind yourself that you are doing what you love, so stressing out makes no sense at all.
Also, try branching out into 2D.
Learning to draw really boosted my moral.
Of course you learn from every failure, but it's really not a lot of fun when you fail often..
I guess it's just time and practice..
I have a tendency to fixate on problems, so I use that to force my way through them when I'm learning something new. Rather than thinking of it as "a thing in my way" I look at it as "a puzzle to be solved". (I also yell at my computer often, which I can only really recommend if you have a very understanding family or live alone.) The manuals can sometimes be surprisingly helpful when you get odd errors. My second step is then to search for the answer, starting with polycount (you can restrict a Google search to a single website by adding "site:polycount.com" to your search). After that, if I still haven't found an answer I'll do a broader search. I can't think of any issues I haven't figured out from some combination of those.
things that helps me stay motivated to work with 3D outside of work is to make it a bit about money, for example making something for the unity asset store or the dota 2 store, it helps a lot.
Staying and working at the office helps me a lot, keeps me focused on 3D, if i go home i kinda shift into relax mode.
JR seems to know what he is doing, everyone should be doing that too, after you gain enough "skills" to pay them bills as it were..
Have you tried finding another similar tutorial and see if it explains things better? Try Googling it? Again, I don't really know what kind of problems you are having, so it's a little difficult to help.
You will not learn by giving up or doing something else. Take each problem, one at a time, and try your best to find a solution. Try and keep it simple. I tend to create my own problems by over thinking things.
Hang in there!
Whether you can do it better or not, doesn't matter. The only thing that matter you believe that and try to do it.
Jobs don't fall into laps, not on this planet anyway.
Don't do it because you want to, well if you can muster that than good on you, do it because you HAVE to!
There's nothing wrong with asking others about motivation techniques/practices. There's always the option to NOT read a thread; that requires no button pushing.
thinking ( just do it man . sit there like a douche and do it . if u didnt ull sit here for the rest of ur life browsing the internet ) forcing myself feels like crap . i keep finding myself trying to escape like ( lets make a cup of coffee - lets check polycount - how about doing another project that is fun )
and trust me . every time i force myself to work outside my comfort zone . the results are always rewarding .
and after im done i think ( that was not so hard . why did i hate doing it ? )
Apparently motivation is mostly through thinking about your goals and what you want to archieve :d
Atleast this thread kept me going on with my project, so it's kind of amotivation itself^^
Start small and think big. Every problem has many solutions depending on the situation. I try to enjoy the problem solving side of things (I have had countless problems that are now solved) and just see it as a learning curve.
Don't quit and start a new, it turns into an awful evil loop:poly121:
chillax and work through the problems it's part and parcel of 3D art:D
goodluck :thumbup:
Kind of keeps you on track when people are watching
This. Seriously, having a group of friends or just a group of people you can talk to about your work and they understand it and can give feedback is invaluable. You can do google hangouts, collab projects, post WIP shots on a private facebook page or something, etc, as well as just knowing that you have that group of friends that you can go to about your industry woes is nice as well. Also, helps with job contacts
Think of the benefits
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that is all you need, don`t wait for those magical moments of inspiration but create them while working your ass off.
a big cup of caffeine does it for many, does it for me a lot of days, or one of those energy drinks that dissolve your liver im sure it fucked with mine before I kicked the habit.
Theres ritalin many rave about that, i've never had the pleasure while i've had a few chemically close compounds, the fundamental plus is you get euphoria and drive.
Now for my favorite if you're ever in a real slump in life theres this drug for narcoleptics called Modafinil, Now what I can say about modafinil is it works, you will be able to draw for 12 hours straight without food until your hand cramps :P, your memory recall is huge, as is your attention to detail, retard focus at the task at hand it also doesn't seem to be as neurodegenerative from the information currently available like your standard amphetamine or perhaps even caffeine compounds.
Only drawback to modafinil I will say is you build tolerance, pretty much zero addiction potential, and it doesn't have a large history of use, if your brain falls out your nose at 60 thats your problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil
so pick your poison or go sober but its a increasingly interesting neurochemical age and who knows what mountains it can help you climb
Modafinil has the same general addiction potential as caffeine -- you build tolerance and can feel like you're unable to function without it, thus creating an impulse to use more to get your previous results. Additionally, it's not any better than caffeine at waking you up (cite), and I'd go for the one that's totally legal and well-studied. Modafinil will make you think things are funnier, though (cite). I can dig up some cites for the self-initiated dose increases too if people care.
The real problem with modafinil is that it makes you think you're doing a great job and aren't tired. It does not really make you not tired (some things are better, others are worse) and you're still subject to many of the effects of sleep deprivation. You will just swear up and down that you aren't. (cites: 1 2 3 etc.) There's also some good evidence that if you're not sleep-deprived, it won't change your performance at all. Instead, it makes you aggressive and anxious (cite).
Fair disclosure: I take modafinil because I have sleep apnea. I have a good subjective knowledge of what it feels like it does, and I can definitely attest to it making you think you are awesome and not impaired at all. I also remember reading the first study I found that indicated that modafinil doesn't improve performance in some areas and thinking, "No, I do so much better, that's nonsense!" Then I got to the part about it causing overconfidence and making people who take it think they aren't impaired and claiming far better performances on tasks than they have. I'm still reasonably confident that it's better than I would be without it (I was functionally narcoleptic with a different cause), but it's important to keep in mind if one is taking it for any reason.
I think a lot of us know pretty much what its like to be in the OP's position. You just have to push though and keep going because you can actually do it.
these people can't simply change their circumstance by rejecting what they are doing because it "sucks" on some fundamental level.
I think you are mistaking a fundamental enjoyment in the process for a peak performance enhancer, Like I said caffeine, how many people drink coffee in the morning just to reach a baseline of optimal performance at work, Coffee is a drug.
if I could give you a pill that could make you think clearer, faster, produce better work then you have before and you will suffer from no side effects, could you really go without trying it, not ever knowing what that neurochemically enhanced peak can do by merely tweaking your hypothalamic histamine levels so you are wide awake firing on all cylinders, there's no High of serotonin whizzing through spiking your dopamine levels like a amphetamine derived stim or Coffee, so its hard to say with a chemical like modafinil you are enjoying the work more as its more you know how to approach the project, you are thinking clearly and concisely.
But personally the vast majority of the time I don't use more than coffee, but I still feel there's a very narrow minded approach to the brain enhancing potential of many nootropics or "drugs" as you call them.
"Modafinil may cause some people to feel dizzy, drowsy, have trouble thinking or controlling movements, or trouble seeing clearly ... (full really long list of side effects, including some possibly fatal and other scary ones found here. You can scroll up slightly on that link and see all about how it's physically addictive, too).
If you look, you'll discover that it's an extremely far cry from no side effects. I have no problem with nootropics being used responsibly, but I find it irresponsible at best to actively try to convince people that it's perfectly safe when it isn't. Also, I love that you simultaneously point out that coffee is a drug and that nootropics are "drugs" as if that's a suddenly inappropriate term.
Finally, you can't just throw around the names of neurochemicals as if people actually understand what they do. No one really has a clue how the brain (or brain-changing drugs like antidepressants or modafinil) work, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either misinformed or a drug rep trying to sell you on something. Reputable neuroscientists are happy (sort of) to tell you that they know just about nothing and that you absolutely can't reduce a complex set of biochemical responses to "I need more serotonin/dopamine/etc." Bodies are complicated and messy, and you shouldn't take any drugs (caffeine included if you want to be consistent) without running it past a good doctor first unless you already know what it's going to do in your system.
Maybe you need a tl;dr. If so:
Healthy people don't get anything good from modafinil and they do get bad things. This has been demonstrated in repeated studies. People who are missing sleep get some good things and a lot of delusions. Nootropics aren't inherently safe and you shouldn't tell people to try them without at least telling them that.
I was just commenting from an "outsider" perspective(since I have no experience with any of the things you mentioned) as on paper it just seems like somebody who takes these "drugs" are trying to force themselves through a task, whereas somebody who is more naturally motivated has to force themselves to stop. You brought up a good point about everybody having a different though, and it makes a lot of sense.
Personally, I can't stand the taste of coffee and any time I have actually consumed a cup of it, I end up feeling no different than before so I don't really touch the stuff.
But generally speaking compared to most chemicals its of relatively low risk and toxicity, adverse reactions are rare, and side effects are pretty standard that we know about, I thought I rather cleared this up with the if your brain falls out of your nose comment.
But I don't seek to derail this thread on some kind of back and forth with medical citations on the efficacy of modafinil.